OHIO researchers study impact of fire on underground structures, building water reservoirs

In 2025, 8,005 wildfires have burned 168,476 acres across the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (opens in a new window). Large fires have the potential to erupt almost anywhere and can destroy structures and devastate lives. Additionally, fires that start in developed areas may damage infrastructure for essential utilities like electricity, gas and water, causing further damage.

Ohio University researchers from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (opens in a new window) in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology (opens in a new window) recently studied how underground piping is impacted by excessive heat and created an underground water reservoir solution to help extinguish fires.

Ohio University Civil Engineering researchers began studying the impact of excessive heat on underground thermoplastic piping in the Fall of 2024 with the goal of learning how disaster events like fires affect crucial infrastructure. The project was sponsored by Columbus-based Advanced Drainage Systems (opens in a new window).

Principal Investigator and OHIO Russ Professor Shad Sargand (opens in a new window), Ph.D., and OHIO Associate Professor Issam Khoury, Ph.D., and their team of the Center for Pipes and Underground Structures in the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE) (opens in a new window) conducted research at the Accelerated Pavement Load Facility (APLF) at Ohio University Lancaster (opens in a new window).

The APLF is a unique indoor facility at OHIO Lancaster, one of only four such facilities in the country, which can simulate interstate conditions including weight from passing trucks weight with full control of temperature and environmental conditions. For this study the ORITE researchers utilized blast heaters to test the durability of piping under roadways when it is exposed to excessive heat.

After several months of testing, Sargand, Khoury and other researchers found that 12-24 inches of soil cover was enough to insulate the piping. Thermoplastic pipes could still function after exposure to excessively hot conditions resulting from fires as long as the fires didn’t burn inside the pipes themselves. Temperatures were pushed upwards of 180 degrees Fahrenheit with no impact—the thermoplastic piping only began to melt at 270 degrees and above.

The project is very proactive in nature and preliminary results from the research have already been published. More information will be published that will also be publicly available. 

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Beyond studying the resiliency of piping infrastructure under roadways, OHIO Civil Engineering researchers have also been investigating the creation of underground reservoirs. These water collection systems could potentially help fight fires. Sargand says students were very involved in this project as well.

A piping system would collect rain and runoff water to be stored in the reservoir for use. Reservoirs would be able to store 60 minutes’ worth of water flowing at 1,000 gallons per minute. The whole system would be located under the ground and could be constructed relatively cheaply.

The underground reservoir research is loosely based on the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. In that instance, very expensive homes—some worth as much as $3-4 million—were destroyed. The idea is that if homeowners are willing to invest an additional couple hundred thousand dollars, they could have their own reservoir under the ground.

Reservoirs wouldn’t be merely confined to private residential use, Sargand says that the reservoirs could have many potential uses including putting out localized fires, aiding fire departments, agriculture and drinking water.

“I think this technology will help prevent these kinds of natural disasters, such as that in Los Angeles,” Sargand said.

The Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE) operates several cutting-edge research facilities for studying highway design and construction, pavement, pipe and bridge materials, safety and human factors and environmental effects. This research helps improve the longevity, health and safety of crucial infrastructure and plays a large factor in why Ohio’s roadways are so outstanding.

Columbus Dispatch (opens in a new window) recently reported that Ohio has the tenth best highways in the nation in terms of cost-effectiveness and condition, according to a report (opens in a new window) from The Reason Foundation. This is up from 17th best in the previous rankings. A major reason behind this improved stature is the research done by ORITE over the past three decades, including test roads on Route 23 in Delaware County and elsewhere around the state of Ohio.

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